


Murderer

by LadyAnneNeville



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Natasha Romanov, Character Death, Gen, Grief/ Mourning, Hurt Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov-centric, Natasha angst, Not Steve Friendly, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Self righteous Steve Rogers, Team IronMan, Tony Angst, Tony Stark-centric, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 14:17:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7848310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAnneNeville/pseuds/LadyAnneNeville
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a response to Civil War. Uses a slightly alternate ending to the film but is canon compliant up until the end of the fight between Tony, Steve and Bucky in Siberia, and only a single change to the outcome. Basically Natasha reaming Steve out for what he did to Tony like the strong and powerful woman she is. A Catharsis of sorts but sadly no fluffy comfort to follow the hurt, read it and you'll understand why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Murderer

When Natasha finally arrives in Wakanda it is in a blur of red-headed fury, the assassin choosing to let loose on all of them. They have been here for a week at this point, Steve and Bucky for a little longer having needed to break the others out of the raft.

“You utter bastard Rodgers.” She announces as soon as she enters the room, the follow up punch to his perfect jaw shatters the greeting smile.

“Hey, hey. Tasha, talk to me, calm down. What's going on?” That's Clint, gently restraining her in a hold she could break in under a second if she wanted to. He's drunk, she can smell it on him, but at least he's somewhat coherent and not in a violent mood. Not being able to go back to his family is grating on him.

“Tony's dead.” She said, tears burning at the edge of her eyes, struggling to keep her perfect composure for once among these people she had trusted so deeply and for so long. Rarely has she felt so raw, nerves dangerously exposed, so on edge, the grief affecting her more deeply than it should.

“I know.” Steve responds, unerringly polite and the very picture of the impersonal officer, the 'I'm sorry for your loss' persona that was projected by politicians every time something big happened. “We heard on the news, there was a complication with his heart, apparently it was very peaceful.”

“Peaceful!?” She was appalled. “You, you of all people actually believed that cover up on the news. That was the story told to protect Stark Industries going forward. Tony didn't pass away peacefully. He was murdered!”

“Murdered, by who?” That was Sam, pale and appalled. Shock etched into his features.

“I'm looking right at his murderer now.” She said coldly, staring at Steve. “Why don't you tell everyone what really happened in Siberia, Steve. What you did.” Steve for his part had gone white, visibly shocked.

“But I didn't... I was just trying to save Bucky... to save my friend... Stark was alive when I left...” Steve had been reduced to a stuttering wreck.

“What actually happened Natasha, what do you know?” It was Sam, once again the voice of reason.

“I got a call from Rhodey just over a week ago. Tony was missing, had been since he went to see you all at the raft. At that point I contacted Steve who gave me a very misleading version of events. Said that Tony had come after him and Bucky with no real intention of helping and turned on them at the first opportunity. From the looks on your faces that's what he told you as well. Well that is not what happened, if you don't believe me Zemo set up cameras all over that compound, it was all recorded, I have the recordings here.”

If possible Steve seemed to shrink in on himself even more.

“I went to Siberia, Pepper loaned me a Quinjet, Rhodey would have come if he could. I was just going to check the compound briefly, then run a search of the local area, after all I was still working on the bad intel that Steve had given me. When I found Stark he was in civilian clothes. You destroyed the Arc Reactor so thoroughly, Steve; that he didn't have a hope of getting out of there on his own. He was huddled next to the generator which he had programmed to give off heat and a small beacon. He had bastardised what remained of his suit to do this, after all it was dead, no use at all as just a suit. The beacon was too weak to reach even the nearest town, Friday was completely offline in the area, in fact you damaged it so thoroughly that she was offline everywhere for a while, but Pepper has managed to get her rebooted in New York...” Natasha trailed off, lost in the memory.

When she saw Tony she ran to him immediately. 

“Stark! Stark! Can you hear me?” His eyelids were heavy but were able to open just a little. She pressed an urgent hand to the side of his neck, the pulse was weak and thready, irregular.

“You came.” His voice was weak barely more than a whisper but she could sense the surprise in it.

“Of course I did Tony. Can you move, we need to get you out of here to a hospital.” She was checking him for injuries, or she started to, once she felt the broken ribs shift beneath her hand, the telltale rigidity of internal bleeding in his abdomen she realised the answer to her own question, and that in checking him for injuries she was doing more harm than good.

“Hold on, Tony I'm going to get you to a hospital.” She said as she lifted him into a bridal carry and walked back towards the quinjet. It wasn't easy, but the adjustments made to her biology at the red room making her stronger, hardier than she should be served her well. Once there she set him down gently and from the emergency medical kit set up and iv of fluid to try and counter the internal bleeding. She left him for a moment to set it on autopilot for the nearest medical facility.

“He stopped breathing on the way. All they did when we arrived was call it. I think he had held on for so long for some kind of rescue that when it finally arrived he wasn't really expecting it too anymore. I flew him back to New York and paused at the facility to collect the surveillance data on the way. By the time I arrived I had seen everything. How Zemo had shown him the video of Bucky murdering his parents, which you knew he was only just learning how to process the grief for in a healthy way Steve. It's no wonder he snapped. And instead of calming the situation down you attacked him! You were the impartial party there Steve, it was your responsibility to calm it down and stop it escalating.”

“I was just defending my friend.” Steve protested.

“Don't give me that rubbish!” Natasha snapped. “I thought Stark was your friend! Don't forget I saw the tapes. I saw you kneeling over his helpless body, destroying the power source and any hope he had of getting out of that place on his own. You hit him over and over again in the torso with your shield when he was helpless! The vibranium of his suit was denting under the pressure, you broke so many of his ribs and caused the internal bleeding.”

“He was alive when I left, even trying to stand” Steve once again trying to defend himself.

“But he couldn't stand, Rogers! You gave him the injuries that killed him. You left him trapped there with no way to escape slowly drowning in his own blood. Do you honestly think because it took him two days to die a slow, agonising death that you are somehow not his murderer. Tony was your friend Steve, and on multiple occasions during the week leading up to this he tried to talk to you, to make you see reason. You were so blinded by your own self righteousness that you ended up completely and utterly in the wrong. And for what, so you could put your friend back in Stasis?” Natasha took a breath.

“I wanted you to know what you'd done, and I really hope you let go of the idea that you are in the right about these things. I'm going back to New York, Pepper's offered me a position at Stark Industries trying to piece together a possible avengers from the ashes of what you left.”

Suddenly Natasha was bone weary, it all felt like too much.

“We're working to get Ross overturned, putting you on the raft was not sanctioned by the accords. Once he's gone and the abuse of human rights becomes public, then I truly hope that you will turn yourself in, Rogers, fall on your sword for everyone here who you mislead. Honestly you deserve to go to prison for the rest of your life for what you've done, but you'll probably get off with a lighter sentence because you're Captain Fucking America.”

Natasha turned towards the door, T'Challa placing a hand on the small of her back to accompany her. The room was utterly silent.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written really quickly so apologies if there are any errors I've overlooked. If you enjoyed the story or have something constructive to say please do let me know, I'm in a really difficult place at the moment so if you liked this then please do leave me a comment.


End file.
